God’s people must live in the world. Paul said that we must have social, economic, etc. dealings with sinners outside the church. Otherwise we would have to leave the world. He warned saints not to have spiritual dealings with sinners (the worldly) within the church, rather to put them out of the church, which was their (and our) responsibility (1 Cor. 5:9-13). See The Government of God. In John 17:14-19 we find Jesus in prayer speaking to the Father about His disciples, noting that He had given them His (God’s) Word and, because they had spoken and lived it, the world hated them. They were not of “the world” in the same way that He was not of the world. He asked God to keep them from “the evil.” Note that Jesus equated “the world” with “the evil.” Note also that “the world/evil” included the religious world, for it was religious people–Jews (tribes of Judah and Benjamin)–who hated them, who would persecute them and later kill them, as they would Jesus Himself. Recall also that it was the Israelites (all 12 tribes) who persecuted and killed the Old Testament prophets, and for the same reason–they lived and spoke God’s Word. Nothing has changed.

Jesus reveals to us the way God “keeps” His people “from the world”: “Sanctify them through Your Truth; Your Word is Truth” (Jn. 17:17). Because Jesus was a man and subject to the same tests, trials and temptations as His disciples, He knew that in order to overcome Satan’s onslaught He had to sanctify Himself through God’s Truth (vs 19). See Jesus: God, Man or Godman? In verse 20 He tells us how to be in “the world/the evil” and remain separate from that evil world: “Neither pray I for these (disciples) alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their Word (ministries).” Jesus asked God to sanctify true seekers of righteousness whom His ministers would win for Him in the future. In verse 21 Jesus tells His saints that all must be one as He and His Father are one. There is no division between Jesus and the Father. Neither are there divisions within God’s church. See The Body of Christ and Church Unity. The Catholic/Protestant, denominational, nondenominational, faith, etc. morass that calls itself “the church” is a counterfeit version of God’s church. God’s saints are to have no spiritual relationship with that religious entity which is a part of what He calls “the world” and “the evil.”

To “sanctify” in the spiritual sense means to “set aside for holy use.” Note that in verse 17 Jesus tells us how God does this:”Father, sanctify them through Thy Truth; Thy Word is Truth.” As I have noted before, EVERYTHING COMES BACK TO GOD’S WORD, which is the only information we have about the Godhead. To be sanctified BY God’s Word one must KNOW God’s Word, not some false prophet’s version of it. The various interpretations (“truths”) put forth by Satan’s false prophets constitute the foundation upon which Catholicism/Protestantism is built. Note what God said about His Truth in 2 Peter 1:20-2:2: “Know this FIRST OF ALL–no prophecy of Scripture is of ANY(ONE’S) PRIVATE INTERPRETATION. For the prophecy (Word) came not in olden times by the will of man … but HOLY MEN of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” He went on to warn about FALSE PROPHETS WITHIN THE CHURCH who would bring in DAMNABLE HERESIES which would deny the Lordship of their Creator over their lives. He noted that they would do this by “speaking evil of the Way of Truth.” This Satan-devised program was designed to draw people away from God and His Word and to the devil’s false prophets and their word, today known as church doctrine. The apostle went on to say that many would follow these false prophets. We see the truth of his words in the hundreds of religious organizations that call themselves “the church.” Jesus had warned about this in Matthew 7:13,14, noting that “few” would “find” His gate and walk His path leading to eternal life. The “many” would choose the devil’s gate and path leading to Catholicism/Protestantism.

Knowing God’s Word does not prompt God to sanctify the Bible student–set him aside for holy use. One must BELIEVE and OBEY His Truth/Word in order to be sanctified “through” it. To go through something one must be immersed in it. To go through water one must get wet. To go through the Word of God one must be saturated/soaked by it internally–in the heart/mind. Paul told the church at Philippi to “Let (one’s choice) this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus (as a man) ….” (Phil. 2:5). Because He had chosen to be sanctified by His Father, the Lord’s human mind was filled to overflowing with the Word of God. We must also “sanctify ourselves” by humbling ourselves and allowing Him to fill us with His Truth. This is possible only through diligent, open-minded Truth-seeking STUDY of the Word by which we show ourselves to be “approved of God” (2 Tim. 2:15). We must study God’s Truth to the point that it becomes “engrafted” in our heart (Jam. 1:21)–the Word becomes who and what we are: “As a man thinketh in his heart (mind), so he is” (Prov. 23:7)–we become what we think about. When we think continuously on God’s Word we become that Word in human form, Jesus being our perfect example. What we think about is what we talk about and what we are about–how we conduct our lives.  In other words, God’s people are “peculiar” and “holy” (Titus 2:14/1 Pet. 2,9), which does not place them in good standing with religious people. As was the case with the prophets and apostles, it is the uber-religious who are the saint’s enemy. Their Satan-directed goal is to destroy what God is doing, which they call “heresy.” Modern day Pharisees have tried from day one to hack into this website in hopes of destroying God’s Work. Those same people will try to destroy His peculiar, holy people wherever they are found. Saints must immerse themselves in His Word using the faith which comes from ingesting that Word:”So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17). I will say again, EVERYTHING COMES BACK TO GOD’S WORD. All else is as dung. In summary, God’s saints are sanctified–set aside for Him to manifest His Word/Work/Will/Way in and through them. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. L.J.